The Spokane Ethics Committee has unanimously ruled that the slur, which was included in a February letter signed by Fagan, his father, Jack Fagan, and Tim Eyman, didn’t violate ethics rules because it’s unclear whether the comment harmed the city. Panel members also say Fagan’s free-speech rights likely trump the city ethics code.

“We can’t really tell a public official what they can and cannot say,” committee member Monica Holland said Wednesday. “Political speech is one of the most protected types of speech that we have in this country. So while the conduct may be perceived to be unprofessional and unbecoming to a publicly elected official and perhaps reflect badly on our city, I don’t know that we can really enforce anything, because it’s free speech at the end of the day.”

Fagan and the other two co-directors of a group that advocates for lower taxes criticized Inslee in a fundraising letter. The three are the co-directors of Voters Want More Choices, which works to place initiatives on the statewide ballot.

He alleged that Fagan violated city rules barring officials from “professional activity” that “might be seen as conflicting” with the official’s “proper discharge of his official duties, the conduct of official city business or as adverse to the interests of the city.”

The other six members of the City Council and Mayor David Condon have said the slur was inappropriate, but Fagan has stood by the letter. Fagan argues that he wasn’t acting as a city councilman when it was sent.

Voters Want More Choices has argued that Inslee violated campaign promises because he supports extending temporary tax increases. Inslee says his position is consistent because he’s not arguing for increasing taxes that aren’t already in place.